Expandable stopper with spout



Jan. 22, 1957 A. SAPIA 2,778,545

EXPANDABLE STOPPER WITH SPoUT Filed sept. 22, 1954 1N VEN TOR. ANGELO .SAP/

United States Patent .STQPIEB .Wim .SEQUT Angelo Sapia, North AndnYer,.Mass., assigner to Sapient Sales Co., Inc., Lawrence, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 22, 1954, Serial No. 457,725

4 Claims. (Cl. 222-482) rl`his invention relates to bottle Stoppers of the expandable type and especially to such Stoppers having a pouring spout therein.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide a faucet with an expandable stopper for use in pouring liquid from beverage bottles, but such devices have required manipulation by both hands, have been costly to manufacture and have not adequately supplied air to the interior of the bottle to permit rapid pouring.

An object of the invention is to provide a bottle stopper that includes a pouring spout, the spout being closed by a gravity operated cap when not in use, and automatically opened by gravity when in use.

Another obiect of the invention is to provide such a bottle stopper with an air conduit whereby the liquid within the bottle is allowed to flow therefrom without an increasing vacuum inside the bottle to stem the ilow.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a bottle stopper capable of being tightened with one hand because of an elongated tightening member at least as long as the width of two ngers of an operators hand.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bottle stopper which seals an upright bottle against exposure of the contents to the atmosphere, but discharges the contents thereof freely when merely tilted to a pouring position in one hand of the operator.

In the drawing,

Fig. l is a side elevation in section of the invention applied to a bottle and before tightening the same.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the distortable plug in expanded position and lirmly held within the mouth of a bottle.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device shown in Figs. l and 2 when in pouring position in a bottle.

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the invention.

ln the drawing B is a typical beverage bottle usually of transparent material such as glass, and having an enlarged main body 20 with a narrowed neck 21 and mouth 22. A liquid C is shown within the bottle B to illustrate the operation of the bottle stopper A of this invention.

The bottle stopper A includes an elongated hollow tube 24 of rigid material such as metal, tube 24 being exteriorly threaded at 25 from a line 26 intermediate thereof down to the bottom open end 27 thereof. The upper third 2.8 of the exterior surface of tube 24 is thus smooth and unobstructed while the lower two thirds 29 of the exterior surface are threaded as at 25. A stationary disc 30 is interiorly threaded at 31 to engage the threads 25 and is attached around the bottom open end 27 of tube 24- to serve as a stationary anchor for the expansion mechanism. An annular pushing member 32 having a smooth inner periphery 33 of greater diameter than the diameter of threads 25 is mounted intermediate of tube 24 to freely slide along the outside of the intermediate portion thereof. A cylindrical plug 35 of distortable material such as rubber is sleeved on tube 24 between pushing member 32 and stationary disc 30 whereby an 2,778,545 Panted Jan- 22, 1957 ice 2 axial push on member 32 will contract the plug axially but expand the plug radially. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, when expanded, plug 35 grips the inside surface of the neck 2 1 of a bottle B and vserves as a stopper.

The bottle stopper A is provided with an elongated cylinder 40, of rigid material having interior threads 4l engaged on the threads 25 of tube 24. Unlike prior devices wherein wing nuts, faucets and the like have been use d as turning members, cylinder 40 is of uniform cross sectional area'and is easily grippable and turnable be cause of its length. As indicated in Fig. 1, cylinder 40 may be axially moved by turning with one hand by resting the lower portion of the fingers on member 32 and rotating the cylinder 40 between the thumb and index linger. Cylinder 40 is preferably about equal in length to the width of several fingers of an operators hand whereby two lingers may encircle the Same while pushing down on member 32 as the thumb and forenger twist on the upper part of the cylinder. lt will be apparent that the elongated cylinder 40 may be formed of tubular material at low cost and may rest on a glass during pouring at any point therealong with a sliding engagement thus tending to prevent overturning of the glass.

Cap means 50 is provided on the outer end 51 of the tube 24 of bottle stopper A and includes a cover 52 pivoted at 53 to a split collar 54. Collar 54 is of resilient material such as spring metal and is normally of less internal diameter than the external diameter of tube 24. It is thus held in place by inherent contractility but may be easily slid ott the tube when it is desired to disassemble the stopper A for washing. Preferably the terminal ends 55 and 56 of collar 54 form oppositely disposed upstanding ears each perforated to rotatably receive integral pivot projections such as 57 on cover 52. Cover 52 is closed by gravity When the stopper A and bottle B are upstanding to seal the liquid C from Contact with the atmosphere but cover C opens by gravity when the bottle is in pouring position. n

An air conduit 60, preferably of rigid material, is included in bottle stopper A the conduit being welded, soldered or otherwise permanently affixed to the inner wall of tube 24. Conduit 6) extends from the plane of the open outer end 51 of tube 24, the full length of tube 24 and projects beyond the open inner or bottom end 27, a considerable distance as at 6l. Preferably conduit 60 is on the same side or wall of tube 24 as the ears 55 and 56 of cap means 50 in order that the conduit will be at the top of tube 24 during pouring. The conduit 60 admits air to the interior of a bottle B to break the vacuum above the liquid C during use and the open end 62 of the conduit is closed by cover 52 when the cover closes the end 51 of tube 24 since both ends are in a common plane.

It should be noted that the annular member 32 is of greater outside diameter than any other part of stopper A whereby it will rest on the mouth 22 of various sizes of bottles and will form an area to support finger weight during installation by expansion of the stopper. Member 32 is therefore preferably flat and not provided with any inside or outside peripheral flanges so that it may tit many sizes of bottles.

I claim:

l. A bottle stopper having an elongated, exteriorly threaded, hollow tube of rigid material; a stationary disc threaded on the inner end of the tube; an annular pushing member slideably mounted around the intermediate porv tion of the tube; a cylindrical plug of distortable material sleeved on said tube between said disc and said member; an elongated, movable cylinder of rigid material threadedly engaging the exterior threads of said tube above said pushing member for radially expanding said plug, said cylinder being of uniform cross sectional area throughout 3 its length; cap means on the outer end of said tube including a eovei` pivoted to open and close said outer end, and an air conduit of rigid material fixed to an inner wall of said hollow tube, said conduit extending from the plane of the outer end of said tube the full length of the tube and projecting below the tube inner end for a substantial distance.

2. A combination as specified in claim 'l wherein the pivot of the cover of said cap means is mounted on the Same side of said tube as is the air conduit Xed therewithin.

3. A combination as specified in claim l wherein said cap means includes a split collar for pvotally supporting References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Allison et al. July 23, 1901 Sokolk May 26, 1953 

